By Pat Kinney
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The City Council Administration Committee this week unanimously turned down a grievance filed by the Cedar Falls Firefighters Association over whether firefighters are entitled to additional pay for doing rental housing re-inspections.
The fire union filed a grievance after being directed to do the re-inspections earlier this year. Re-inspections are done to make sure violations found after an initial inspection by a fire captain have been corrected.
The issue is one that dates back to 2001. At that time, a fact-finder concluded unionized firefighters were entitled to bonus pay of $51.28 per pay period for each firefighter who performed the inspections in lieu of a part-time inspector position that was left vacant at that time.
However, that award was rejected in binding arbitration on the grounds there was no evidence the additional work, performed during normal working hours, would require additional hours or place any additional burden on firefighters.
Scott Dix, currently a vice president with the Cedar Falls Firefighters Association and union president in 2001, argued before the Administration Committee the arbitrator’s ruling was based on incorrect information since the city never filled the part-time inspector position and firefighters were entitled to share in the savings. He argued the city was trying to “slip” the task upon firefighters while they were in the middle of a labor contract.
City legal counsel stood by the 2001 arbitration ruling.
The Administration Committee, made up of all City Council members, denied the grievance.
Dix said the outcome was expected but gives the union precedent to bring the matter up during future contract negotiations.
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(c)2015 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa)
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